Nuclear power attack puts pressure on coalition

Thursday, 27 May 2010 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

The coalition government has received its first mauling in the Commons on nuclear power, as Ed Miliband suggested the Liberal Democrats had a "hidden agenda" on the issue.

The Conservatives support new nuclear power but the Lib Dems do not. Under the terms of the coalition agreement the Lib Dems will abstain and a spokesperson will speak against nuclear power.

The appointment of Chris Huhne as energy and climate change secretary handed Ed Miliband, who until last month was the Cabinet minister responsible for nuclear power, the opportunity to launch a strong attack.

He repeated a previously-made criticism that it was "like having a vegan in charge of MacDonalds".

Mr Miliband said: "We always knew that being a Liberal Democrat in opposition means not having to choose. But old habits die hard - they seem to think being a Liberal Democrat in government means not having to choose either."

He quoted the Lib Dems' former environment spokesman Martin Horwood as having warned investors that if his party got into power their investment would be at risk.

"People will think this is a hidden agenda of the new government. He himself has said no to nuclear - he described it as a dead end," he continued.

"In order to show the clarity that the minister for energy says is necessary, I urge the secretary of state to say he was wrong to say our message was clear. It's the grown-up thing to do - to admit that he got it wrong."

Simon Hughes, another former Lib Dem energy spokesman, said that nuclear power would make a very minimal contribution to Britain's energy mix. He doubted whether new nuclear power stations could be built without public subsidy.

Mr Miliband insisted he believed it could, but added: "The challenge of climate change is a far bigger challenge and we at our peril reject the alternatives that there are."

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